NEWS SCAN for Turkey – Sept 23rd, 2013

Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites

Eleven lawmakers of Turkish origin find seats in German Parliament

Eleven lawmakers of Turkish origin have been elected to the German Bundestag, the country’s lower house of Parliament, following the nation’s general elections on Sept. 22.

Cemile Yusuf from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Aydan Özoğuz, Metin Hakverdi, Mahmut Özdemir, Gülistan Yüksel and Cansel Kızıltepe from challenger Peer Steinbrück’s Social Democrats (SPD), Cem Özdemir, Ekin Deligöz and Özcan Mutlu from the Green Party and Sevim Dağdelen and Azize Tank from the far-left Die Linke all won seats in the legislature.

Yusuf was the first Turkish and Muslim lawmaker to be elected on a CDU ticket.

President Gül says it would be unrealistic to  talk about Syria without Iran

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said it would be “unrealistic” to have any discussion on the Syrian war without the inclusion of Iran, adding that Turkey and Iran were both directly involved in the ongoing process.

“Frankly, it’s unrealistic to talk about Syria without Iran. There has yet to be a common understanding with Iran, but you cannot exclude it,” Gül told reporters in New York, in which he highlighted “the new era” in Iranian politics with the election of President Hassan Rouhani.

Gül is in New York to represent Turkey at the 68th General Assembly meeting of the United Nations, where Syria will likely be the top item on his agenda. He will meet Rouhani and French President François Hollande on the sidelines of the event.

German election results not likely to have impact on status of Turks in Germany

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed her mandate for a third time in Sunday’s elections, the election results are not expected to have an impact on the status of Turks in Germany, or Turkish-German relations for that matter.

Although Merkel increased the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)/Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) votes by 7.7 percent to 41.5 percent and received 311 seats out of 630, she slightly falls short of the absolute majority that is required to form a single party government. Since her coalition partner the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) stayed out of parliament for the first time in its history, Merkel will have to look for new coalition partners in the weeks to come, despite her tight win. After two decades Merkel’s CDU party has gained 40 percent of the vote.

Two coalition scenarios stand out: either a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is the second biggest party with 192 seats, or another coalition with the Greens, who hold 63 seats in the federal parliament, the Bundestag. A coalition with the Left Party, which won 64 seats in parliament, is very unlikely given the irreconcilable differences between the CDU and the Left Party. The latter is known for advocating ending strong ties with the US and a much higher minimum wage compared to the CDU.

Sinanoğlu and Kale Group realize investments in Mardin

Hewlett Packard (HP) has teamed up with Turkish Sinanoğlu Reklam to invest $100 million in a digital advertising printing facility in Mardin province.

According to Ali Sinanoğlu from Sinanoğlu Reklam, once the facility which will cover an area of 25,000 square meters, is completed, 200 people will be employed. The facility will produce billboards as well as advertising boards for interior and exterior spaces. Sinanoğlu said that HP has provided both technical and financial support for the facility, while Sinanoğlu Reklam has moved its production operations from İstanbul to Mardin. The facility will become fully operational in the second quarter of 2014 and targets annual profits of 120 million euros.

Sinanoğlu expressed that his aim is to enter the Middle Eastern and European advertising markets and make Mardin one of the digital printing centers of the world. Noting that it is difficult for them to find qualified workers, he said the company also plans to open a vocational high school in the field of digital printing.

Meanwhile, Kale Group has also opened a factory worth TL 5 million in Mardin with the attendance of the Interior Affairs Minister Muammer Güler. Kale Group CEO Zeynep Bodur Okyay stated that the factory was opened to meet the potential market in the region. The factory will produce thermal insulation materials as well as other related products, while the company will also serve the market in northern Iraq.

Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul’s second largest airport invests $1.3 bln in runway

Sabiha Gökçen Airport, which is İstanbul’s second largest airport and is located on the Anatolian side of the city, will be investing $1.3 billion in a new project to add a second runway.

According to the project as reported in media outlets, it will also include demolishing an air traffic control tower and the construction of a newer, taller structure. The new runway will be built parallel to the existing one and will be 3,500 meters long. The construction expenses will be $600 million, while the remaining $715 million will be used for infrastructure in a site that was topographically challenging. Construction is expected to start at the beginning of 2014, be completed in four years and to increase the passenger capacity of the airport from 30 to 70 million.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport carried an estimated 15 million passengers in 2012. Data released by State Airports Management General Directorate (DHMİ) at the beginning of September showed that the number of airline passengers jumped by 15.2 percent between January and August over the same period a year ago. The data indicated that Sabiha Gökçen Airport saw the highest increase in passenger numbers, with a 21 percent rise in the first eight months.

Erdogan attends opening ceremonies for  $776 milllion-worth projects in Malatya

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended opening ceremonies for 93 projects, including 13 schools, sports centers, student dorms, a new campus for Inonu University, a practice hotel for training of students of vocational high schools and 2,400 new housing units as well as energy and transportation investments with a total amount of $776 million in the province of Malatya. Saying that Malatya deserves all of these investments, Erdogan reiterated that the government would continue to bring additional services to public and make every effort so that Malatya would become a metropolitan municipality in the upcoming local elections. Touching upon also the developments in the region, Erdogan noted as follows regarding the civil war in Egypt: “The coup-makers should know that the guns they used towards protestors might one day be pointed at them. Did they not kill thousands of Egyptians? Did they not make a martyr of Esma? What was her guilt? They made a martyr of a young girl who had no gun in her hand.” Condemning also the Syrian regime that has killed 110,000 people so far, Erdogan said, “We will always stand by those who are right, and will stand by peace and stand against war.”

Turkish Petroleum Corporation seeks partners for shale gas exploration

Turkish Petroleum Corporation is poised to explore and produce shale gas in Trakya, while a delegation from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is seeking partners in USA and Canada – countries with shale gas exploration and production.

The ministry delegation held a series of meetings with regulatory, supervisory and administrative authorities, hydraulic fracturing companies and professional organizations in those countries. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that his ministry was willing to work with companies that are experienced in the field to exploit Turkey’s shale gas potential and added that they would collaborate with Shell in shale gas and oil exploration in Batman and Diyarbakir.

23.09.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA

We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.